Point of View: A Film Festival on the Politics of Environment

A note from the organisers

I had participated in the environmental film festival, 'Quotes from the Earth' organized by Toxics Link at New Delhi. We thought of bringing that festival to Hyderabad. However, due to the costs involved in bringing it here, we dropped the idea. But why should festivals be such expensive affairs; was the thought that bothered us. When our desire is to bring quality films for the purpose of initiating a public debate then such festivals have to be more accessible to all people, and there need not be a huge cost involved in doing such a thing.

So, at The Hyderabad Film Club Documentary Circle, we decided to do a no fringes event. As we checked out the films and contacted filmmakers, the Magic Lantern Foundation and Goethe Institute, a whole new list of films emerged: both Indian and International. In fact, the kind of films that were more in tune with what the original thought was to bring films on environment, that discuss the politics behind it. Thus, we gave it a new name, Point of View.

Not another environmental film festival, one would say. So, what is the difference? I find more often, the not so mainstream and controversial subjects are not really given a place with in 'official' festivals on environment. There is a need to think beyond deforestation, beyond, wild life conservation. There is a need to look critically at our role as individuals in the larger makings of the environmental politics; dig out the skeletons behind various seemingly harmless initiatives of the powers that be. And that should be done with no strings attached. Thus, Point of View has taken shape to bring you these alternate voices, the untold stories on the politics of environment. Untold, in Hyderabad that is. Most of these films had enjoyed wide viewership and appreciation elsewhere in India and abroad.

Why politics of environment? I think environment is a political issue, though it is not considered so, in mainstream politics. Issues like nuclear weapons are considered 'Holy Cow'. They seem to be a necessity. But there is a need to bring them out of secrecy, and look at their validity in the context of the daily deaths that happen on battlefield and elsewhere from exposure to radioactive materials. As the populations grow and resources deplete, there is a grab for natural resources, and a stronger urge to control them on the one hand, and creating new dumping grounds for the wastes created out of our desire to cling to this notion of 'development' that is increasingly making 'Waste' a big issue. Tomorrow's superpower will be dictated by the fact as to who owns the natural resources and who keeps their backyard clean. A scramble for hegemony on our resources has been on for quite some time. It is time for us Hyderabadis to wake up to these facts. This festival is a small effort towards this end.

We are most grateful to Magic Lantern Foundation, New Delhi, who not only agreed to supply with the films, but will also be participating in the festival; to the filmmakers Sanjay Barnela, Geeta Singh, Sarat Chandran and Baburaj; Amita Desai at Goethe Institute, ECOMOVE International, Germany, all of whom have readily given consent for screening their films; without which this festival would not have happened.

Saraswati Kavula
Organiser

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